Putting Theory to Practice
by bon vivant
Summary: In romantic theory, he should also be falling head over heels for her, and any day now he would wrap her up in his arms, and hold her there forever. In reality, she was falling, and Gray was too busy with everyone else to notice let alone catch her.
1. Part 1

**Putting Theory to Practice  
Part One**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Fairy Tail. If I did own Fairy Tail  
this wouldn't be fanfiction; it would be _the word of God  
(If you read TV Tropes you hopefully got that attempt at joke.)_

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P A R T . O N E

_I want a girl with uninterrupted prosperity  
Who uses a machete to cut through red tape  
With fingernails that shine like justice  
And a voice that is dark like tinted glass  
Short Skirt/Long Jacket (Cake)_

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"_When we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice."  
~ Marquis De Lagrange_

She was beautiful, and she knew it. She didn't have self-confidence issues to hold her back, and on the flip side, she wasn't really conceited either. She was just a beautiful girl who was talented enough, and was more or less, in love with her teammate. She had already rationalized it all out; she'd rationalized it all out the first time he had opened up the cage of butterflies in her stomach that until that point she hadn't even realized was there. As an avid reader she had immediately recognized the sensation that poets waxed lyrically about and novelists made fortunes off of duplicating on paper: she was falling in love.

The only problem was that what looks good in literature rarely turns out the same way in reality.

In romantic theory, he should also be falling head over heels for her, and any day now he would wrap her up in his arms, and hold her there forever, happily ever after. In theory he was always watching her when her back was turned, and thinking about her when she was away. In theory all of his friends were pushing him to just man up and tell her how he felt, and in theory, he would do just that. In theory, her fate was entwined with his, and nothing could change that. Love conquers all, and all of that happy jazz.

In reality, Gray was thinking about Erza, and having messy one night stands with Juvia. In reality, Gray thought of her as friend, and someone whose apartment was convenient to break into when he needed to get away. In reality, he was spilling his guts to her about all these other girls who occupied his thoughts while he remained blissfully unaware of the girl standing right in front of him that craved to be a part of his world. In reality, she was falling, and Gray was too busy with everyone else to notice, let alone catch her.

It was sad, but it was true. Lucy had long since accepted that, no matter what her precious books said, Gray just wasn't going to suddenly turn into her knight in shining armor. He was hopeless. Her knight was lost in Juvia's cleavage and Erza's very presence. Lucy was confident in herself, but even she believed this fight was lost.

The only person who seemed to have any hope in her ability to capture Gray's heart was Mirajane, and Lucy was ninety percent positive that Mirajane was only trying to be nice when she told Lucy that those who never try never win.

"It's hopeless." The blond lamented. "He doesn't think of me as anymore than a friend."

"A lot of great relationships are built off friendships. Look at Natsu and Lisanna for example." Mirajane pointed out as she swiped down the counter. Lucy watched the other woman work as she chewed over this tidbit. It was another one of those things that only sounded good in theory, and rarely worked in practice. Lucy sighed, blowing a fringe of blond bangs out of her eyes.

"If only it was that easy. I'm always here for him, and I've been dropping hints about my feelings like crazy; but, it's all 'Erza this, and Juvia that'. I'm gonna be sick if I hear him mention either of them one more time."

"In case you didn't notice, Gray can be a little dense sometimes. Maybe you should stop cutting corners, and just talk to him straight."

Lucy narrowed her eyes at the older woman. "Talk to him straight? Do you want me to die from embarrassment?" She exclaimed.

"You talk to him about all kinds of things all the time, and that doesn't kill you." Mirajane pointed out as she poured a dark amber liquid into a glass, and slid the drink down the bar to the waiting hand of a fair haired man.

"That's not the same! I can't just confess to being _in love with my teammate. What about our professional relationship?" _Lucy hissed the last part quietly enough that any listening ears wouldn't overhear her secret.

Mirajane giggled. "You're so silly, Luce." Mira shook her head. "I have a lot of work to do, but whenever you come to your senses you know where to find me." Mirajane called back over her shoulder as she walked away toward a group of eagerly awaiting middle age mages.

Lucy rested her head against the pocked surface of the bar. No one seemed to understand her situation. Gray wasn't just any guy. He was her teammate, her close friend, and one of the first people she came to know at Fairy Tail. He was important to her in so many ways, and she couldn't risk ruining that by spilling her feelings. Especially not when he was clearly preoccupied with other girls.

It was sad, but it was a fact. Cold, hard hearted reality.

Still sulking she sipped her drink. The ice had done melted, and turned the amber liquid much lighter and the taste much duller. It slipped down her throat with hardly any burn at all, and Lucy downed the glass as if she'd been drinking for years rather than weeks. She wasn't drunk yet by any means, but as the fourth glass of alcohol coursed through her system, she felt the familiar sense of vertigo sweep over her.

_Anything is better than feeling sorry for myself. I keep insisting I can give him up, and yet, here I am drinking to the idea of his rejection. _Lucy thought bitterly. _If I'm lucky he's just hanging out with Natsu right now, but more than likely, he's with one his potential girlfriends. What makes them so fucking special? _A picture of Erza and Juvia swam through Lucy's mind, and she immediately wanted to take her hateful thoughts back. She liked Gray, but Erza and Juvia were both friends of hers, and it was wrong to think about them like that over a guy. Chicks before dicks.

Feeling, if possible, worse than before, Lucy pushed her seat back away from the bar, and stood up to stretch out her muscles. The eerie orange-red glow of sunset cast light over the near empty main floor. Her eyes scanned over the remaining stranglers, but she didn't see anyone she knew. The two window seats were taken by a pair of young girls who were both frowning and nursing drinks; a table near the far wall was occupied by a young man with mint colored hair who appeared to be working on a report; a handful of middle aged mages were seated in a loose circle at the center of the room trading fight stories, and drinking stiff drinks. This wasn't her usual crowd by any means.

She glanced at the clock up on the wall and started with a gasp. It was nearly seven o'clock. All of her usual friends would have set out for home hours ago. For a moment she was shocked that she had let time get away from her so easily. She wouldn't even have time to write tonight before bed. A groan slipped past her lips as she tugged her bag up higher on her shoulder. If she left now she might have time to finish editing a few chapters if nothing else.

With the bloated, melting sun as her guide Lucy made her way across the scuffed wooden floor to the exit. Outside the streets were bathed in the strange evening light, and long shadows stretched out into the streets like the fingers of an unseen monster crawling out to wrap around the ankles of weary passerby. She wasn't a nervous girl or an easily frightened girl, and she trekked out into the bloody light of the sunset without a second thought. With ballerina like grace she leapt from the street to the short wall that hung against the curling path of the river as she did every night, and started toward her apartment.

Unlike most nights she didn't call upon her friendly stellar spirit, Plue's companionship. This evening her thoughts were far more interesting than anything Plue would have to say anyways, and asking his opinions on the matters that haunted her mind would be pointless. As a minor stellar spirit, Plue, had very little knowledge of the ways of humans, and rarely understood the complicated, emotional relationships that Lucy attempted to describe to him. So it was just her, and her own thoughts.

_I need to get over Gray. _She told herself for the nth time. _Chasing after him is pointless and time consuming and just idiotic. _She thought harshly as she kicked a pebble out of her way, and sent the tiny rock skidding into the river below.

_Obviously, he has other girls to kill time with, and why would he like me anyways? I'm beautiful, sure, but Juvia and Erza aren't ugly either. Ugh! This is such a waste of my time and energy. Natsu has Lisanna, Gray has his damn harem, and what do I have? Nothing. Everyone on Team Natsu wins! Except for Lucy. Always except for Lucy. Damn. _Lucy glared at the ground, and cursed out loud. She'd resolved not to let this get to her anymore, but the subject had a way of popping up in her thoughts like a virus.

Luckily she didn't have to dwell on it any farther for she stood out front of her apartment feeling(only slightly disoriented because she couldn't remember when she'd arrived from Point A to Point B) tired enough to walk right in, fall down on her cotton sheets, and not wake back up until the next decade. She inserted her key into the old lock, twisted it until she heard a faint click, and pushed open her door. She walked inside, and closed the door behind her with more force than was necessary.

Inside everything was dark. She'd left the lights off when she'd left for Fairy Tail that morning still planning to be back before the sun even set, and now she had to grope her way through the darkness, feeling along the wall for the bump of a light switch. Carefully edging her way through the darkness so not to trip over anything Lucy walked toward the kitchen doorframe where she knew the light switch was. After a moment she found what she was looking for. She flipped the switch, and bright, white light flooded over the room right before Lucy screamed.

"Why the hell are you in my home!" The blond screeched in surprise, throwing her hand up against her chest melodramatically. Her hazel eyes were pinned on the dark haired boy lounging on her couch.

The man who had consumed her thoughts for the entire duration of the day was sprawled out across her couch as if he owned the place. His perfect body was clad only in boxers, and the look on his face clearly expressed that he didn't understand what she was so upset about. Lucy could've screamed bloody murder, and then committed bloody murder under the circumstances. Here she was trying to get over him so he could live his life without her interference, and here he was breaking into her home half naked. Fate was just being fucking cruel.

"Sleeping." He said, drawling the word out into a long yawn. He stretched his arms up over his head displaying the bands of taunt muscle without concern for Lucy's rapidly climbing blood pressure.

"Don't you have your own place to do that at?"

"Yea, but I mean what's the big deal? Natsu's over here all the time, and you can't honestly say you like that idiot hot-head's company better than mine."

"What? This has nothing to do with Natsu, Gray! You can't just break into my house, and sleep on my couch whenever you want." Lucy huffed angrily.

"I was sleepy, and your house was closer than mine. I fail to see what you're so upset about."

Lucy's eyebrow twitched, and she bit down hard on the inside of her cheek to keep from royally telling the ice alchemist off. _See, Mirajane, he only thinks of me when he wants a place to crash. No hidden feelings of passionate love here, folks. _The thought was a lot more bitter than it should have been considering that she was supposedly over her obsession with Gray, and she was supposedly now moving on with her affections to more willing targets.

"I don't see why it has to be my house. I'm sure Erza would happily let you crash on her couch, and Juvia would probably kill herself to have you sleep over." She tartly snapped. Despite her best efforts to keep the venom out of her tone her words were clearly laced with it.

Gray's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he seemed to really appraise her for once. Lucy fidgeted uncomfortably beneath the ice user's gaze, and after a moment, he finally diverted his eyes to the ceiling. An uncharacteristic frown graced his features.

"I guess it's true then." He mumbled more to himself than anything, but Lucy overheard him anyways. Her heart promptly skipped a beat in her chest as she debated what he could possibly mean.

"What's true?" She hedged uneasily. _Mirajane, if you told him I'll die of embarrassment, and it'll be your fault. How would you like murder on your conscience?_

"I overheard you talking to Mirajane. I hate to tell you, but you suck at whispering, Luce." Gray said. Color flooded Lucy's cheeks, and it took a lot of effort to keep her emotions in check.

On one hand, the fact that Gray knew was a relief. Now everything was out on the table between them for better or for worse. On the other hand, if he rejected her she would be crushed, and working on the same team as him would be nearly impossible. She respected him as a mage and as a teammate, and despite her other feelings, she didn't want things to change between them.

"Oh, you heard that." She whispered dejectedly. "Gray, I . . . I don't want things to change between us. I hope you can just forget you ever heard anything. An. . . I promise I'm trying to get over you, and it won't affect our professional relationship." Lucy wouldn't, couldn't meet his eyes so she spoke her confession to the floor boards. From the way she was intently analyzing them you would've thought her floor boards were the most interesting things in the world.

"You don't want things to change?" Gray asked. She could practically hear him smirking. Anger pulsed hot through her veins, and she balled her hands into fists. Was he really mocking her at a time like this? When what was being said clearly mattered so much to her?

"No. I still want us to be teammates, and if possible, close friends."

"So . . . you don't want to go out with me this weekend?" The ice mage asked with a hint of amusement coloring his otherwise serious tone. Lucy's eyes snapped up from the floor to look at Gray, searching for any tell-tale signs that he was playing with her. Gray was still laid back across her couch like an over grown cat with his pale lips quirked up on one side in a smirk, but it was the eyes that gave him away. On the surface his dark irises looked playfully serious, but underneath there was something different... a strange, foreign glint that Lucy had never seen him direct at her before. She swallowed hard.

"Like on a date?"

"No, like on a friendly romantic picnic with the whole damn gang." He deadpanned.

She shot draggers at the handsome boy. "If Natsu's going then I'm out. I wouldn't want to interrupt you two's romantic evening." Lucy shot back, the words absolutely dripping with sarcasm. Gray rolled his eyes heavenward.

"Damn, if Plan A is out then I guess I'll just have to try Plan B." Gray moved from the couch, and quickly crossed the room to stand in front of her. Lucy's breath caught in her throat as he closed the distance between them until he was standing nearly flush against her quivering form. Gray had never been this close to her before. She could feel his cool breath, and smell his minty, somehow masculine fragrance.

"Lucy, would you please go out on a date with me this Friday?" Gray asked with shocking sincerity as he wrapped his hands around hers, and gently pulled her closer until she could feel the definition of her muscles pressing hard into her softer form. His angles fitting perfectly against her curves.

Momentarily, Lucy forgot her vocabulary entirely. _Well, this was unexpected. _She hazily thought. "Friday? Uh. . . Yea, Friday, sure." She replied. Gray smiled, and let her hands drop. The proximity disappeared as quickly as it had come, and he was once again across the room from her.

"I'll see you Friday, Luce." Gray said as he turned her doorknob and made to leave.

"When? What time?" She called frantically as he stepped out into the chilly night air.

"6 o'clock. Wear something nice and warm." He replied as he disappeared from sight. "Night, Luce." Was the last thing she heard from him before her door swung shut with a loud bang.

She stood dazed for a good five minutes, just staring at her door as if she'd never seen the slab of wood before. Then slowly her thoughts picked up their processing speed, and Lucy nearly fainted. Gray had asked her out. She had a date with _Gray _this weekend. She had a date with _Gray Fullbuster _this _Friday! _

"I am so good!" Lucy shouted happily to no one in particular as she wandered back toward her bedroom, and fell down onto her sheets with a contented little sigh.

* * *

Gray rounded the corner of Main Street, and headed toward the squat, ratty apartment complex that leaned slightly to the left. Outside lines of half-dried laundry swayed in the evening breeze, and a rusted swingset creaked with each gust. He made his way across the dying lawn with purpose he rarely possessed, and pushed open the front door of the decrepit building.

The inside wasn't much better than the outside. A peeling, floral print wallpaper was pasted over the dirty lobby walls, and the stairwell leading up to the apartments themselves was littered with empty coke cans and a child's toys. He hardly took notice of the mess; after, coming here for so long he'd become immune to the disarray. He rushed up the stairs, past firmly shut doors with crooked golden number decals, and finally arrived at his destination. Room 27, a plain little place with take-out boxes piled in a clumsy stack beside the doorframe.

He went inside without knocking—he never knocked, and usually didn't even bother with doors if a window was around. Once inside the place you could tell it was undoubtedly a bachelor pad. The odd moldy plate or rumpled article of clothing was strewn across or piled on all flat surfaces, the carpet was stained with what looked like dark wine, and the owner of the place was drooling in his sleep on the couch.

"Wake up, flame bastard!" Gray shouted, lifting his foot to kick the pink haired mage in the side. Natsu rolled over with a groan, and sleepily blinked.

"You dick, I'm tryin' to sleep." Natsu mumbled almost incoherently.

"I just talked to Luce." Gray informed his friend as he made his way into the kitchen to pour himself a drink. He always just made himself at home at Natsu's place because the fire mage always made a point of returning the favor later. A bottle of amber alcohol was already opened on the kitchen island, and Gray made two glasses. One neat for Natsu, and one on the rocks for himself.

"Ugh." Natsu half-groaned, half-yawned. "Do you need another fuck buddy?"

"What makes you think I'm trying to turn her into a fuck buddy?" Gray asked as he returned to the sitting room, and handed Natsu a glass. He plopped down on the couch, and gulped down a quarter of his own drink just to get the liquor flowing in his system.

"Isn't that what you're always trying to do? You are a cold-hearted asshole after all."

"Maybe it's legit this time, Sakura head."

"Do you plan on hooking up with Juvia tomorrow when she gets back?"

"Uh, probably."

"Oh yea, it's soo legit." Natsu drawled sarcastically. The fire mage sipped at his glass, and in his half-asleep state he didn't notice the grimace that momentarily bloomed across Gray's normally confident features.

_I don't need this right now. _Gray thought slightly annoyed. _I asked her out with only good intentions. She likes me, and I was just giving her a fair shot. What would Natsu know about that anyways. The little fucker is just trying to get under my skin. _Gray thought as he tossed his long time best friend a glare. When Natsu insisted on being all noble and nosey Gray wished he didn't know the damn dragon slayer.

"I mean it, Natsu. I don't have any ulterior motives this time. I'm just taking a hot girl on a nice date. Nothing more and nothing less." Gray said a bit defensively.

"Gray, don't fuck this up. Lucy is our teammate, our _nakama_, and if you hurt her I'll hurt you." Natsu proclaimed fiercely. Gray quickly nodded, affirming he understood and accepted the conditions.

"I won't fuck this one up." He promised. Natsu gave him a long look then lifted his half-empty glass up into the air.

"To Lucy and Gray, for better if Gray likes life."

"To Lucy and Gray." The ice mage conceded. He lifted his glass to clank against Natsu's than quickly downed every single drop of the amber liquid wondering just what the hell he had gotten himself into. _This better be worth it, _the ice alchemist thought moodily.

"Oh, and you better forget about your little thing with Juvia for now."

"What..." Gray began, but once he noticed the flames beginning to quickly lick up around the tips of Natsu's fingers he held up his hands in defeat.

"I meant what I said, Gray."

"Okay, okay. No Juvia. I got it." Gray pouted.

Natsu smirked satisfied with Gray's answer, and dropped his empty glass into the ice user's lap. "Oh, and I need another drink, buddy." He said with a wicked grin.

"Go to hell." Gray shot back. He deposited Natsu's empty glass on the floor, and went to get himself, only himself, another drink.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I'm thinking this should be finished in two chapters with an outlying chance for the need of a third chapter to wrap things up. Anyways, I'm working on writing out the next part, and positive feedback is a good way to encourage me to write even faster e.g. reviews jammed pack with polite critical feedback. I appreciate all reviews, and I read every single one.

Also, this is the first time I have ever written Fairy Tail fanfiction. I've only read about half the Phantom Lord Arc so far which means a few facts may be off. I did take the liberty of characterizing them a little differently than most around here do it seems, but this is how I perceive the characters and think they would act in these situations.

Oh, and thanks for reading. You're all freaking awesome. =)


	2. Part 2

**Putting Theory to Practice  
Part Two**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Fairy Tail. If I did own Fairy Tail  
this wouldn't be fanfiction; it would be _the word of God.  
(If you read TV Tropes you hopefully got that attempt at joke.)_

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P A R T . T W O

_Countess and courtesan  
Have fallen 'neath my tender hand  
When their husbands were not around  
But you, my spoiled teenage girlfriend  
And how you are furrowed like a lioness  
Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect (Decemberists)_

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"_When we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice."  
~ Marquis De Lagrange_

When the forecast turned dour he had seriously contemplated bailing on his date with Lucy. He couldn't take her to an outside light show with the sky dumping out an ocean over the land, and it wasn't like the light show would be happening even if they did attempt to brave the storm. So it seemed logical to just take a rain check. Lucy was a smart girl, and he was sure that she would understand.

Only as it got later and later and he got more and more bored, Gray found himself thinking about a certain blond an awful lot.

What was she doing? Did she still expect him to show up, and either way, was she disappointed that he hadn't? Was she just reading another one of her beloved books, or... or was she maybe thinking about him while doing something much naughtier? Hm... He could only wonder... or he could always go over to her place. It wasn't actually that far of a walk, and he was quite confident she'd be glad to see him even if it was a little late.

The light over his head flickered as thunder rolled. Gray narrowed his dark eyes at the exposed florescent that swung on its rusted chain above his bed. _The electricity is fucked up enough without bad weather. I'll be damned if this whole building doesn't lose power within the next hour. _He stayed in the cheap apartment because he was a cheapskate who didn't feel like spending all his time worrying about rent like Lucy, but at times like this he regretted his stinginess.

_I bet Lucy will still have power in an hour, and if she doesn't, then she'll want company. _An image of the beautiful blond girl cowering in flimsy pajamas on her bed in the dark materialized in his mind. Her pretty face distorted with fear as the storm got worse and worse; she'd be whimpering, wishing he'd show up. Then like magic, he'd be there to hold her, protect her, make love to her until the storm passed...

Gray shook his head to clear his mind of such dirty thoughts right as the lights flickered one more time, and then went out without farther fanfare. He got up out of his bed, and fumbled around pulling on the clothes he had been planning to wear on his date with Lucy. It was decided, why the hell should he lay around in the dark when he had a gorgeous girl waiting for him two blocks down?

As an after thought Gray grabbed his wallet and shoved it down in his pants pocket, thinking of the condom shoved down in the ID card slot. It was always better to be safe than sorry. Gray stepped out of his apartment, locked the front door as an after thought, and set out for Lucy's place.

* * *

Dark storm clouds rolled in from the west to blot out the night sky, and the first of many rain drops tumbled down from the gradually darkening sky. It was the first major storm of spring, and the weather reporters didn't expect it to pass for several more hours. Normally she'd be okay with this turn of events, but this evening she found the stormy sky a burden. Tonight was her first date with Gray Fullbuster, and it was not supposed to be raining.

Lucy Heartfilia stared dejectedly out her bedroom window. _Doesn't this just figure._ She thought as a crack of thunder rolled through the air and lightning lit up the streets below. Her hazel eyes scanned the streets below for any signs of life. There were none.

Well, she couldn't blame him for taking a rain check tonight. She sighed as she removed herself from the window seat. There was no reason to get upset over spilt milk; she couldn't make it stop storming, and neither could he.

The blond trekked across her bedroom to her small closet space. It was eight o'clock, and he hadn't shown up so, she felt it was alright to slip out of her new clothes and into some comfy pajamas for the night. She peeled off her v-cut, black sweater, and the red, lace trimmed tank top underneath it. She slipped out of her skin tight jeans, and tossed the bundle of clothes into the hamper before she dug out her old, faithful pajama set: a pair of white and blue pinstriped shorts, and a white tank top.

A clap of thunder shook the pictures on the walls, and the lights in her bedroom flickered. _Oh please, don't let the power go out. _She pleaded to the heavens as she exited her closet, and the flopped down on her bed. Very few things scared Lucy, but she'd be lying if she said she was fond of black outs during bad weather.

Deciding not to follow that line of thought she picked up her latest read off her bedside table, and flipped it open. The book was a fantasy/adventure novel that had just lately gained a lot of popularity among the stellar spirit mage community. Its plot was largely based on ancient conspiracy theories concerning the origin of stellar spirit keys, which would have been interesting by itself, but there was also a delightful romantic subplot concerning the main character, Niagara, and her best friend, Jacoby.

Books always easily enraptured the blond mage, and in no time she was far away from the escalating storm trekking through the sunny deserts of Yoira. Time ticked by slowly in the real world, and Lucy easily lost track of it. There was no telling how long she would have remained in Yoira had not someone knocked.

The first knock she wrote off as her imagination, but the second was louder and undeniably there. _Who could possibly be out this late in this storm? _Lucy wondered as she crawled out of her bed, and went to answer her front door.

While she had been reading the storm outside had been growing in intensity. Now the rain pounded out a hard, incessant beat on her roof, and every few moments lightning illuminated the room in quick flashes of lurid white light. The person at her door was persistently knocking without pause not that Lucy blamed them what with the thunder blotting out all other sound every minute or so, they probably thought she couldn't hear them over it.

_I bet they're soaked. Poor soul, they really shouldn't be out in this. _Lucy thought as she reached her front door, and pulled it wide open. The stellar spirit user uttered a small gasp when her eyes locked on her nighttime visitor. Gray Fullbuster stood on her front steps soaked to the bone with one arm raised mid-knock.

"Get inside before you freeze, you idiot." Lucy scolded lightly when she recovered from her initial shock. She stepped to one side to let the older mage pass, and quickly closed the door behind him before the chill could get inside.

She pulled the lock securely into place before turning to face her guest. A puddle of rainwater had formed around Gray's feet, and his dark hair was plastered to his skin. The exhibitionist was fully dressed in a soaked, blue button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and black dress slacks that stuck to his lithe form like a second skin. Despite the fact that he was wet and probably freezing, he was smiling, and Lucy's heart skipped a beat as she thought that maybe he was smiling for her.

However, the practical came before the romantic, and Gray would be fucking sick for sure if he didn't get out of his soaked clothes soon.

"What are you doing out in this weather?" Lucy asked, hands poised on her hips. "You'll be sick, and I won't get my makeup date."

"Sorry for thinking you might enjoy riding out the storm with me." Gray shot back. Maybe she was just being paranoid, but she could've swore that sentence was more loaded with innuendo than anything. Promptly a faint blush dusted her cheeks. She pushed _that_ idea from her mind quickly before less modest thoughts could follow it.

"I can handle one little storm by myself, I'll have you know." She continued now in full on mother hen mode. "And you need to get out of them clothes; they're soaked all the way through. You must be freezing to death."

"I'm quite used to the cold actually."

"Either way you're dripping all over my floor. Strip." She demanded.

"Usually I'd expect you to buy me dinner first, but for you..." Gray trailed off as his fingers deftly freed the buttons of his shirt one by one.

The blush on Lucy's cheeks darkened, and she swallowed hard. It wasn't like she hadn't seen Gray naked before, but it was different now that they were, to one degree or another, dating—it was more sluttish somehow.

She knew she shouldn't watch, but seeing his fingers run over his smooth skin as he undid the buttons of his shirt held her transfixed. Each button slid from its place minutely exposing more of Gray's sculpted body. The sloping, chiseled planes of well defined muscle. The dark navy tattoo on his left pectoral, and the way his metal necklace perfectly divided his chest into two halves. Abdominal muscles came into view one by one, and Lucy found herself imagining what they would feel like beneath her fingertips. She wondered how the ridges of muscles would ripple beneath her touch, and whether his skin would be cool or warm beneath hers...

"Lucy, you're drooling."

"What!" She squeaked. "I am not." She denied quickly as she spun on her heel to face away from the ice user. Trying to be as discreet as possible she quickly wiped her hand across her mouth. _No drool, you damn lair. _She mentally cursed.

"Are too." He said in a high sing-song tone.

"You know it's impolite to just start stripping in front of me." She huffed. "You'll scar me for life."

"You know you like it." He teased. "And anyways, you're the one who told me to strip."

"Whatever. Go to the bathroom, and I'll find something for you to wear." Lucy paused as she tried to think of exactly what she could find. Then it dawned on her, and she mentally patted herself on the back for figuring it out so quickly.

"I have few of Natsu's clothes in the laundry room that should fit you." She declared, and quickly took off to fetch the aforementioned clothing, grateful for an excuse to get away long enough for her blush to die down. Suddenly she was very thankful that she had agreed to wash Natsu's vomit saturated clothes for him that night he'd broken in drunk and highly upset with Lisanna.

* * *

Gray slipped into Lucy's bathroom, and finished stripping in record time. The only reason he'd even taken so long with his shirt out front was for Lucy's benefit, but now safely away from her eyes he tugged the clothing off unceremoniously. The beauty of his sub-conscience stripping habit was the quick development of a talent for removing clothing which came in handy in more ways than one.

As he waited for Lucy to bring him something to wear he brooded over her last words to him. _What the hell is she doing with a bunch of Natsu's clothing? Why has Natsu even had clothing off in her home? Surely if he'd been with Lucy flame-head would've been bragging about it by now..._ Gray's stomach twisted angrily as he considered the multitude of possibilities. The green eyed monster locked down on Gray's thoughts as the mage found himself genuinely irked.

_Why the hell do I even fucking care? _The ice alchemist growled inwardly. _It isn't like she's my damn girlfriend. I don't own her, and I have no right to say anything about what or who she does. _He berated himself with a strange ferocity. _I've never liked virgins anyways, they're too much damn trouble, and they never know what to do. _He thought, and with that thought came a wave of calm. Yea, if she had experience that worked in his favor. He just needed to chill out.

Gray grabbed up a towel off Lucy's towel rack. He ran the cloth over his head, messily drying off his dark locks, and then wiped down the rest of his body. Lucy had been right about one thing: rainwater was fucking chilly. Contrary to popular belief the ice mage was still aware of the temperature around him, and didn't like temperature extremes anymore than the next person. He could deal with cold temperature extremes better than most, but that didn't equate to liking them by any means.

Naked but dry, Gray flipped open Lucy's hamper, and went to toss the towel inside when he noticed a glimpse of something pink and lacy. Unable to resist the temptation Gray plunked the piece of cloth out of the pile before tossing his towel inside.

He held his new found treasure up for examination, and grinned wickedly. Apparently Lucy was the girly girl type. The panties were boy-short cut and pale pink with hot pink lace running along the edges, and a rainbow of metallic sparkles decorated the front of the cloth in nonsensical patterns. The ice mage was well aware of a heated stirring in his lower abdomen as his dick hardened up to half-mast.

_Yea, that's exactly what I need—Lucy to open up the bathroom door to find me standing here with her underwear and a hard on._ The ice alchemist thought dryly. Deciding to take the higher path to salvation, Gray tossed the underwear back into Lucy's hamper, and immediately regretted having to give them up. If he'd had his pants he would've pocketed his find, they were a nice pair of panties after all, and nice panties made great hand to gland combat materiel.

Gray's scheming was interrupted when Lucy knocked timidly on the bathroom door. _No panty stealing for me tonight. _He glumly thought as he twisted the knob to just barely crack the door. He stuck his hand out, and waited for her to hand him a bundle of cloth before he pulled the door back to.

"Thanks, Luce." He called through the closed door.

"It's no problem. I'll be in the kitchen."

"Alright."

He unfolded the bundle of clothing for inspection. It was a typical(1) Natsu downtime getup consisting of black jogging pants and a black wife beater—nothing overtly offensive to the eyes like Natsu's usual daily outfit. With the same amazing dexterity he had removed his clothes with Gray went about getting dressed.

* * *

The stellar spirit mage leaned against the kitchen counter while she waited for the microwave to kick off. She'd found half a pot of day old coffee, and rather than make a new pot she'd just poured the remaining cold coffee into two cups to heat up the easy way. The microwave hummed quietly as the cups rotated in slow circles. Her hazel eyes followed the predictable path without really seeing it. Her mind was preoccupied with a certain dark haired boy who was currently _naked _in _her _bathroom.

She hadn't expected for him to actually brave the storm to come see her, not that she was complaining or anything, but it seemed odd. As far as she aware Gray rarely did anything just for the hell of it, and he always thought out every move carefully. For him to take off into the night during a thunder storm... it just didn't seem to fit his character. She liked to think he'd done it just because he liked her that much, but somehow she doubted that.

But if it wasn't because he cared about her than just why the hell had he done it?

The rational part of her mind thought it might just know, but the romantic part argued heatedly against it.

_Gray just wants to get in your pants. _The rational part calmly insisted. _And if you let him than you're no better than any other common whore. _It continued, not maliciously, but definitely not kindly either. _You've never even been on a date before, and if you let go of your virginity this easily than you'll have a reputation in no time. How does that sound, princess? How would you ever face Erza or Natsu after that got out?_

The romantic part of her mind was on the defensive. _Gray cares about you, Lucy, and he just wanted to check in on you. He was afraid of being rude and upsetting you. _The romantic part was far more fierce in pushing its convictions. _He just wanted to make sure you would still go on a makeup date with him, and now he's just supplying some polite company. You shouldn't think so lowly of him when he's just being nice. _

She was utterly torn in half between what she wanted to believe and what she felt was more than likely correct. Pretending Gray was a nice guy wouldn't make Gray a nice guy anymore than pretending Gray was in love with her would make him fall in love with her. Juvia was proof that just wanting Gray to be in love wasn't enough to force it on him. Still...

It was hard to accept that maybe she meant no more to him than any other easy girl. She wanted it to mean more than that. She wanted his affection, his love, his dedication. She wanted him to hold on to her, to comfort her, to caress her, to love her. She wanted to mean as much to him as he meant to her...

_You don't always get what you want. _The moment the words passed through her mind she knew they were true. You couldn't always get what you wanted, and you couldn't always win. Sometimes you just have to lose, and sometimes you just don't get the guy. It wasn't pleasant to draw the short stick, but someone had to. Lucy knew this all to well, but she still liked to pretend that maybe, just maybe, she'd win this round.

**Beep. Beep. **

Lucy was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of the microwave. She retrieved the cups of coffee from the microwave, and arranged them on a tray. Anything was better than wasting time trying to dissect Gray's motives. He was here, and that was all that mattered for now.

"Hey. What's in the cups?" A smooth voice asked from right behind her, cool breath fanned out across her neck raising up gooseflesh. Startled Lucy jumped, her hand flying up to her chest as if to physically slow her racing heart, but she recovered quickly.

"Coffee. It's old, but I warmed it up so, it should be alright." She said.

Gray's arm momentarily brushed against the fabric of her tank top as he reached around her to grab up one of the cups. She shivered involuntarily, and mentally berated herself for it.

"We can talk in the living room." Lucy mumbled. She grabbed up her own cup, and abandoned the tray on the counter. She turned around quickly—apparently to quickly because Gray had yet to extract himself from her immediate vicinity. She found herself staring directly at Gray's lips with their bodies mere inches apart.

Time seemed to stand still, and a nervous chill worked its way down her spine. A twisting feeling of anticipation burned in her abdomen almost unpleasantly. She was waiting; she didn't know what she was waiting for, but she was waiting. Her tongue darted out to lick along her lips, and for a moment she was so sure he was going to kiss her. Then Gray turned away, and walked toward the living room.

Lucy followed after the ice mage feeling equally confused and disappointed.

* * *

He had just barely resisted temptation twice so far. Each time she'd all but invited him to kiss her, and for some unfathomable reason he'd taken the moral high road both times and walked away. _Hell of a time to develop a moral conscience. _He thought, but surprisingly the thought wasn't bitter. He didn't know why, but the idea of taking advantage of Lucy's lack of experience in any way bothered him immensely. She'd kiss him because she thought it was that simple, but Gray knew himself well enough to know that kisses were never that simple. He really wanted to protect her from himself.

He plopped down on the couch, and sit his cup on the coffee table. His eyes followed her every movement as she settled down on the opposite end of the sofa. He watched her lips capture the edge of her mug all the time acutely aware of how nervous and cute she looked clutching her cup like a lifeline in her worn out pajamas.

"Are you nervous, Lucy?" He teased lightly.

The blond's eyes widened, and she sputtered, droplets of coffee flying out in a shower of spittle. It was kind of gross, but kind of endearing as well.

"No. Why would I be nervous?"

"I don't know. You're acting kinda edgy. I don't bite you know... Unless you want me to that is." He slipped in the innuendo, and noted that satisfying shade of red that flooded her cheeks. She made it too easy sometimes.

"I'm not on edge." She insisted completely ignoring the rest of what he had said.

"Then why are so stiff and jumpy?"

"Stress. I'm just a little tense."

"I could loosen your muscles up for you if you'd like." He offered coyly.

"Gray!" The blond stellar spirit mage exclaimed. He chuckled, and held his hands up in surrender as she glared daggers his way.

"Joking. Chill, Luce."

"Sorry," She sighed, slumping forward dejectedly. "I know I shouldn't feel this way, and don't take this the wrong way because I do trust you; you're my nakama so of course I trust you, but..." She trailed off.

Gray had a pretty good damn idea where this conversation was going, and he immediately felt the need to put an end to it. He knew that Lucy was looking for more than a fling, but he wasn't sure what the hell he was looking for. He couldn't very well discuss the issue of a 'serious' relationship or a 'monogamous' relationship with her when he didn't even know what he wanted. It was like ordering a dish before you'd really had time to consider the menu.

Since he'd gotten his first real blow job at fourteen Gray had dedicated himself to privately womanizing, and completely flying underneath the love radar. He always made it clear that he wanted nothing more than sex. With Juvia it had started as pure release and ended that way. With Lucy it had started as curiosity, and now Gray just didn't know what to do. What did he want? How much was he willing to give up? Could he even do it if he wanted to?

He made to change the subject, but Lucy cut him off.

"I can't let you use me. If you're just in this for sex you can go find someone else to mess around with." She said pointedly.

"Lu-chan." He sighed, and raked his fingers through his disheveled hair.

"Don't start stripping again." She warned. He glared.

"Whatever. As I was trying to say, you're my nakama, and I wouldn't come here just to use you. Natsu would fucking kill me. I honestly wanted to just give us a chance." Only partially a lie, but it was a lie to save Lucy's feelings so Gray didn't feel too bad about it.

Their eyes met, and she immediately diverted hers; a dark blush stained her cheeks, and Gray wasn't quite sure what to make of that. However, when she scooted closer to him—just barely, but closer all the same—he had an epiphany. This wasn't just a simple little crush, he honestly meant something to her. Just mentioning that she might mean something to him had garnered to pure of a reaction for someone simply toying around with shallow feelings. At least his experience with girls led him to believe from her actions that she was genuinely falling for him.

_She really... really, what? Loves me. _He thought uneasily. _What the fuck do I do with that? _As soon as he thought the question he knew the answer to it. _I love her back because that's what she wants and I need. She loves me, and... and I like that a lot. Maybe I like that too much, but I think that'll be okay. _It was a tentative realization, but it felt right, and he could work with that.

His train of thought came to an abrupt halt when he felt her thigh brushing against his own. The blond had migrated down the couch, and was now seated beside him. Her shoulders were still stiff and tense. Now that he knew that she was nervous because she felt something big for him his ego swelled to epic proportions.

He turned to face her completely unsure of what he was doing for once, and took her small hands into his own. Rubbing gentle circles into the palms of her hands he closed the distance between them. This part was always easy. He'd done this millions of times. It was like a riding bicycle: if you can do it once then you got it.

* * *

Her breath hitched. The ice alchemist was suddenly, unexpectedly close to her. Her mind immediately pulled information she'd gained from years of reading romance novels, and came to one conclusion: Gray Fullbuster wanted to kiss her; he was going to kiss her in fact. Butterflies fluttered about in her stomach, and the adult rated parts of her anatomy reacted with an intense flare of pleasurable heat that rattled her senses.

Any moment now she would have her first kiss. Whether or not it would mean anything in the long run was up in the air, but all the same, she would have it for better or worse. He was already leaning forward to give it to her.

His lips brushed against her forehead, and he pulled back. She was left reeling.

_What the hell? That wasn't a kiss. _Her mind shouted indignantly. Yet, some part of her was relieved. She hadn't sacrificed her first kiss to someone who was a known womanizer. Perhaps it was better if she hung onto her first kiss for a little while longer; until she was absolutely sure that Gray had changed and was truly hers to keep.

"I don't want to mess this up." Gray informed her. His voice was deep and husky just as her romance novels had taught her it would be. Only they hadn't mentioned the underlying gravel... Maybe that near gravelly, near growling sound, was just a Gray thing? She thought it probably wasn't. Romance novels seemed to be wrong a lot these days. Reality just sucked that way.

"Do you care for me?" She asked timidly. A creeping shyness threatened to tongue tie her at any moment.

"Yes." He replied, and she thought he was being sincere. At least at this moment he sincerely cared for her as more than nakama or a sex object. It shone in his eyes. She couldn't quite place it, but she could sense it. An ingrained feminine ability to tell when a guy meant 'I care for you' versus 'I want in your panties'.

"Then I think we'll be alright. You won't mess anything up too badly."

"You think so?" He asked sounding oddly hopeful.

Lucy nodded.

"And maybe it'll be okay for you to kiss me soon. Maybe I'll be able to trust you enough because you won't mess this up."

"Let's hope."

She smiled, and gave his hands a light squeeze. She was pretty positive she could trust him. He was _nakama_, and he wouldn't lie to her. After all, Loke would murder Gray if he hurt her, and that was only if Natsu didn't reach the ice user first to do the honor.

In romantic theory, the couple that is fated to be together always gets a happy ending.

In reality, Lucy wasn't sure what statistics had to say, but it was one theory that she was willing to put a little stock into.

**Happy ever after. **

* * *

(1) No, Natsu has never worn this exact outfit in the manga as far as I'm aware, but we haven't seen Natsu dressed in much of anything besides his normal scarf-vest getup which I just couldn't bring myself to torture Gray into wearing. However, since this is my story I took some liberties, and just made up something that seemed Natsu-esque to me for him to wear as typical-Natsu-casual.

**A BIG THANK YOU GOES OUT TO THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE TO REVIEWING: **SoulReaper Rukia, TheIslander, Serenade, BlabberMouth141, leogirl321, DayDreamerJxD, and Lynn.

**Author's Note: **Bad ending? Nope, I like it. I had a lot of problems trying to decide on how to end this. Gray nearly didn't end up with Lucy, and in one rough draft, he actually ended up in bed with Juvia. I only changed my mind after I got through typing out the second draft of the original. I don't know why, but I really thought they needed a sweet ending. Maybe there was some left over fluff fumes from my Valentine's Day project still affecting my thought processes.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm writing on a Lucy/Loke oneshot, but I don't know if it will be quite so fluffy. Sometimes I just can't stomach fluff, and I've been overdosing on the stuff lately. x.x

Guess what? I just finished reading chapter 80 of Fairy Tail! Yay! Go me! I know I still have a lot to go, but I'm still throughly happy with this accomplishment. =)

Well, reviews are love, and thanks for reading.

xx. Bon Vivant.


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